2. misc-audio
  3. 159969-137557

Thoughts on a system upgrade.

I have been following and enjoying the posts on Audiogon for about six months now and am posting for the first time looking for advise and ideas on what to do next with my system. I would consider myself a budget Audiophile although some of you may have a different opinion of my self assigned classification. 

I am looking for ideas on improving the weak link(s) in my system possibly with replacing one component and am looking to invest approximately another $2500. I also understand that I could use many smaller improvement tweaks and welcome all comments. 

My system is in a 14’ x 14’ room with a 12’ ceiling. My speakers are about 12’ apart and my primary listening position is centered at the 12’ point of the triangle from the speakers and consists of the following.

PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell Preamplifier/DAC

Music Hall MMF-5 Turntable with Hana EL MC Low Output Cartridge

Clearaudio Smart Phonostage V2

Bluesound Node 2i 

Nakamichi MB-10 CD Player

The Power Cables on the electronics above are a combination of Shunyata Yenom 3 and V14, and Audioquest NRG-Y2. Interconnect Cables are a combination of Pangea Premier and Premier SE. 

The electronics are housed on the wall to the right of the speaker wall on the top half of a very heavy two piece wall unit. I have no options to move them anywhere else.

The electrical outlets are on a dedicated line to the breaker box with standard household wiring. 

PS Audio Stellar S300 Power Amp positioned to the center of Vandersteen Treo speakers and connected with Bluejeans-Belden 12 AWG speaker cables. The Amp is connected to the Preamplifier with 22’ Bluejeans-Belden XLR Balanced Interconnects. The Amp is positioned on the bottom shelf of an end table with a Butcher Block Acoustics platform. I don’t have an option for a dedicated Amp Stand.

The Amp is connected to the wall outlet and a Furman 215A Conditioner with Audioquest NRG-4 Power Cables.

I listen to Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, and Americana for the most part and occasionally Jazz and Classical. Vinyl when in a serious listening mood and CD’s and Streaming for exploring and convenience.

I have been considering upgrading my TT to a Clearaudio Concept w/Satisfy Tonearm and a Hana Shibata MC Cartridge. I’m not actually sure if the TT is the weak link in my system so welcome comments. 

 I’ve read many times on this forum that your ears are the best test of what sounds good and mine are quite happy but I have the bug to keep improving and as a friend of mine says it’s a slippery slope.

With that said I welcome comments and I hope I have given enough detail as I will not be available real time to answer any question. Thanks to everyone.



128x128relayer101

Showing 9 responses by relayer101

relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
I had another response asking if I had tried connecting power from the Amp directly to the wall outlet and I did and did not notice any difference in the sound. Using the power conditioner is more of a concern about power surges as some of my neighbors had lost electronics from nearby lightning strikes. Not sure if it would help but it's there just in case and does not appear to degrade the sound.
Another comment was in reference to the Interconnect Cables and Speaker Cables and that they may be one of the weaker links in the system so I may look at some higher quality cables also. 
Thank you for the suggestions.

relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
Thank you to millercarbon for the response and advice. For a start I am going to look into adding the BDR Cones and Discs and Ceramic Cable Elevators in addition to some of the other tweaks that you have mentioned. Adding the sub-woofers is something that hadn't crossed my mind and I will be looking into that in the future. Thanks.
relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
I agree. They make a great speaker with great support and they have answered all of the questions I've asked right away. I'm a big promoter of Vandersteen and have never doubted my decision to go with the Treo's.
relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
freedriver, thanks for the response. I agree that Room Acoustics could definitely help but they would need to be on the inconspicuous side as my system is in a room that is not always a dedicated audio room. 
I appreciate the suggestion. 
relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
jjss49, Thanks for the response. I guess since I don't have anything to compare to on what could be improved in the sound of my system I am just searching for ideas from looking just at the hardware alone. 
I appreciate your comment and may just look to the tweaks mentioned above for now and see where it takes me. 
relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
Thanks for all of the input on acoustic treatments and while I don't doubt I could get some improvement the layout of the room with a wall unit, windows (with shutters), and glass doors limits the amount of wall space that I have for hanging just about anything. With that said I do have a few spots where I could experiment with a few 12" x 36"- 48" panels and will see what I can find in that size range. 
relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
cd318, thanks for the input on the turntables. I have a basic surround sound system in our family room and I have my old Technics SL-3200 on that system and it is still kicking and doesn't sound bad but gets very little use. I didn't realize Technics was still in the TT game and will look into them when researching TT's in the future when I'm ready to take that next step. I had mentioned that I was also looking at Clearaudio and can't say I have ever seen anyone on Audiogon promote them. 
relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
Thanks for the information on GIK. I will be curious to see what they have to say with the "Minimal Treatment" box checked.

With that said I like the idea of trying some of the smaller tweaks as I am a believer in the Theory of Continuous Improvement and that small improvements add up to the sum of their parts. You get closer to perfection with every step you take and as you get closer to your goal the steps become smaller and smaller. 

I gave Stevie Ray Vaughan's Texas Flood a spin this morning and to my ears it sounded pretty damn good but in my head I know it can get better so I will continue on.


relayer101's avatar
relayer101 OP
606 posts
 
Following up on a few suggestions on upgraded fuses which I never thought would make a difference but since it was mentioned by a few people in the know it has gotten my curiosity up. I checked out the Synergistic website and see they have a few options of Orange and Blue in the $125 price range. My Preamplifier is user serviceable for replacing fuses from the back panel of the unit but the Power Amp is not. I don't have an option without cracking into my Power Amp but in general which unit would one get the most impact from with upgraded fuses? Thanks.
More to discover